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Fullerenes & Nanotubes

World C — Carbon Chemistry

32.A — BUCKMINSTERFULLERENE (C60)

R32.01 The C60 Molecule
  • Discovered in 1985 (Kroto, Smalley, Curl).
  • Spherical carbon allotrope resembling a soccer ball.
  • Dark solid at room temperature, soluble in organic solvents.
+
R32.02 Geodesic Architecture
  • Made of 60 carbon atoms (sp² hybridized).
  • Constructed from exactly 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons.
  • No two pentagons share an edge (Isolated Pentagon Rule).
R32.03 Endohedral Fullerenes
  • The hollow cage can trap other atoms or ions inside.
  • Denoted with the '@' symbol (e.g., He@C60).
  • Used to create unique magnetic and electronic materials.
R32.04 Medical Applications
  • Cage structure acts as a safe vehicle for targeted drug delivery.
  • Powerful antioxidants (the "radical sponge").
  • Potential for carrying radioactive isotopes for cancer therapy.

32.B — CARBON NANOTUBES (CNTs)

R32.05 The Rolled Cylinder
  • Conceptually: A graphene sheet rolled into a seamless tube.
  • Diameter is measured in nanometers, length can be millimeters.
  • End caps are formed by fullerene-like hemispheres.
SWCNT
MWCNT
R32.06 SWCNTs vs MWCNTs
  • SWCNT: Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (one layer).
  • MWCNT: Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (concentric cylinders).
  • Synthesized via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) or arc discharge.
R32.07 Chirality & Conductivity
  • The angle the sheet is rolled (chirality) dictates properties.
  • "Armchair" orientation = Highly Metallic conductor.
  • "Zig-zag" orientation = Semiconductor.
100 GPa
R32.08 Extreme Tensile Strength
  • sp² carbon bonds make CNTs incredibly strong along their axis.
  • Tensile strength up to 100 GPa (fraction of the weight of steel).
  • Ideal for ultra-light composite materials in aerospace.

32.C — FUTURE HORIZONS

R32.09 The Space Elevator
  • CNTs are the only known material theoretically strong and light enough to build a 100,000 km tether from Earth to space.
🔋
R32.10 Next-Gen Batteries
  • CNT forests used in supercapacitors and advanced battery electrodes.
  • Vastly increases surface area for rapid charging and discharging.